As the concept of cloud computing is becoming more familiar to people, Google is now making it easier to write programs that use it. Reporter Stephen Shankland stops by the podcast studio to talk about why a change Google made to its App Engine could dramatically increase the number of cloud-based apps on the market.

Also in this podcast: International spies hack into U.S. electricity grid; Silicon Valley venture capitalists feeling more positive; and Taiwan's Elan sues Apple over touchscreen patents used in the MacBook, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

About the author

Jennifer Guevin is managing editor at CNET, overseeing the ever-helpful How To section, special packages, and front-page programming. As a writer, she gravitates toward science, quirky geek culture stories, robots, and food. In real life, she mostly just gravitates toward food.
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